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Privacy & FOIA Reports

Privacy Office Annual Reports

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Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Reports

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Section 803 Reports

In support of Section 803 of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, the Privacy Officer will submit a report covering all privacy protection activities of the Department.  Please note that the quarterly reporting period follows the FISMA reporting period and not fiscal or calendar year reporting periods.

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DHS Data Mining Reports

The Data Mining Report, which is provided to Congress each year, describes DHS programs, both operational and in development, that involve data mining as defined by the Federal Agency Data Mining Reporting Act of 2007.

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Passenger Name Records

The Passenger Name Record (PNR) Agreement between the United States and the European Union (EU) makes possible the transfer of certain passenger data to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in order to facilitate safe and efficient travel. The documents below demonstrate the progression of the Agreement since its inception and include subsequent reviews conducted by both the United States and the EU to ensure compliance with the Agreement.

Compliance Reviews

Agreements

Supporting Documents

PNR and the Automated Targeting System

PNR data is stored in the Automated Targeting System (ATS). CBP uses ATS to improve the collection, use, analysis, and dissemination of information that is gathered for the primary purpose of targeting, identifying, and preventing potential terrorists and terrorist weapons from entering the United States. For more background information, please consult our ATS Privacy Impact Assessments.

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Other Homeland Security Privacy Reports

The following are public reports issued by the Privacy Office:

  • Assessment of CBP Training Materials on Border Searches of Electronic Devices (PDF, 6 pages – 138 KB) In August 2009, Secretary Napolitano issued new directives regarding searches of electronic media at the border. In coordination with the release of the directives, the Privacy Office, Customs and Border Protection, and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties were instructed to assess the CBP training materials and course matter on the border search of electronic devices. This report presents a summary of this joint review.
  • Interim Report on the EU Approach to the Commercial Collection of Personal Data for Security Purposes: The Special Case of Hotel Guest Registration Data, conducted pursuant to Section 222(b)(1)(B) of the Homeland Security Act, in order to enforce the provisions of Article 5 of the 2007 Passenger Name Records (PNR) Agreement. January 16, 2009 (PDF 43 pages – 1.19 MB)
  • CCTV: Developing Best Practices, Report on the DHS Privacy Office Public Workshop, December 17 and 18, 2007 (PDF, 66 pages – 528 KB) Report summarizing the CCTV workshop panels and resources to help identify and address privacy concerns, including Best Practices for Government Use of CCTV (Appendix B); Template for Privacy Impact Assessment for the Use of CCTV by DHS Program (Appendix C); Template for Privacy Impact Assessment for the Use of CCTV by State and Local Entities (Appendix D); and Template for Civil Liberties Impact Assessments (CLIA) (Appendix E).
  • ADVISE Report, (PDF, 25 pages - 411 KB) Review of the Analysis, Dissemination, Visualization, Insight and Semantic Enhancement (ADVISE) Program including recommendations.
  • Secure Flight Report, December 2006 (PDF, 18 pages - 694.60 KB) DHS Privacy Office Report to the Public on the Transportation Security Administration’s Secure Flight Program and Privacy Recommendations.
  • MATRIX Report, December 2006 (PDF, 9 pages – 386.97KB) DHS Privacy Office Report to the Public Concerning the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange (MATRIX) Pilot Project.
  • Report Assessing the Impact of the Automatic Selectee and No Fly Lists, April 27, 2006 (PDF, 29 pages - 242 KB).
  • Report to the Public on Events Surrounding jetBlue Data Transfer February 20, 2004 (PDF, 10 pages - 65 KB)

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